Aerial apparatus



Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

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v. PASTRENGO.

AERIAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2l, 1921. 1,396,874.

V1 PASTRENGO. AERIAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2ll 192|.

1,396,874. Patented Nov. 15,1921. I

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I l .IIIIIIF I` I m o Y@ In II III I I w lI K A I l. l IIIIIIIIII'II I 'if I I E h -l o" N01 IIA II n MI* I\ I I w A V. PASTRENGO.

AERIAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2l, 192i.

Patented Nov. 15,1921.

llllIlllIlllllllllllllllll'llllllllll V. PASTRENGO.

AERIAL APPARATUS.

APPucATloN FILED MAY2I.1921.

1,396,874, Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PA'll-NT @FPi-CE.

VITTORIO PASTRENGO, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALFORNIA.

AERIAL APPARATUS.

Application filed May 21,

To @ZZ whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l. Vir'ronio FAs'rRENGo, a subject of the King of Italy, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful lniprovement in an Aerial Apparatus` of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in aerial apparatus, with respect particularly to improvements in means for alighting upon either land or water without damage to the machine. n

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved aerial apparatus adapted for landing upon either land or water.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved means for retarding impact and absorbing shock without the use of wheels when descent is made upon the land.

A further object is to provide improved means for retarding the descent of aerial yraft of the character described upon the surface of water when descent is made thereon.

A still further object of my invention is to prevent dipping of the wings into the water7 and the submergence of said wings by waves when alighting or :floating upon the water.

I accomplish these and other objects by means of the device disclosed in the drawings forming apart of the present specification wherein like chararters of reference are used to designate similar parts throughout said speciication and drawings, and in which: f

Figure l is a side elevation of my 1inproved aerialA apparatus equipped with my novel alighting means.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of Fig. 1, por- Y tions being broken away to disclose the conp struction of my improved landing skids.

Fig. 3 is a broken vertical longitudinal section upon a larger scale through one of the hulls disclosing the operation of my landing skids. n

Fig. 1l is'an enlarged detail of my improved wing supporting means.

Fig. is a transverse section through one of the hulls showing the landing skid mounted therein; and

Fig. 6 is a broken vertical longitudinal section taken between the hulls showing the rear skid. n

Referring to the drawinfrs the numeral l is used to designate the wings of an aerial Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15,1921.

1921. serial No. 471,425.

craft provided with a plurality of air propellers -driven by suitable motors 3 mountediiponfthe franieworkd for the craft. A pair of buoyant liulls 6 provided with elerating planes 7 and ruddei's S are rigidly connected to the framework in such mahneur that when the hulls 6 float in water the craft will be supported above the water.

The hulls G are each provided with a landing' skid 9 slidably mounted within a compartment 11 formed within the hull 6, by longitudinal partitions 12 and transverse partitions 13. A plurality of air cylinders 1% provided with air cocks 16 are mountedl above the compartments 11 upon sections of shaft 1T. Springs 1S are interposed upon thesliaft sections 17 to resilientlyretain the cylinders 14. in spaced position and the ends 19 of the shaft sections 17 are resilientlyA mounted between springs 21 upon vertical shafts 22 to compensate for any distortion due to the impact of the skids 9 when alighting. Pivotally connected braces 2() permit a slight longitudinal movement of the cylinders 19 due to shock or vibration. A piston head 23 connected to a skid 9 by a connecting rod 24 is slidably mounted within each cylinder 14- to normally occupy the lowermost portion of the cylinder, air being admitted above the piston head 23 through the cocks 16.

Springs 25 are mounted upon the connect` ing' rods 2a between the skids 9 and a hori- Zontal partition 25 to resist an upward movement of the skids 9 within the compartments 11.

A landing' skid 27 is pivotally mounted upon a shaft 28 secured between-the hulls 6 in any suitable manner, said skid 27 extending rearwardly to the end of the hulls 6. Air cylinders 29 similar to the cylinders 14 ai'e secured between the hulls 6 above the rearward end of the skid 27 and is provided with a piston head and connecting rod 31 pivotally connected to the skid 27. The connecting rod 31 is loosely guided by a brace 32 secui'ed between the ends of the'hulls 6, and a spring 33 is mounted between the skid 27 and the brace 32 to resiliently resist an upward movement of the skid. The connecting rod 31 is pivotally connected to the skid 27 to permit an arcuate movement of the skid 2T about the pivot shaft 28. The air cylinders 29 are allowed sutlicient movement to retain alinenient with the connecting rod 31 during such` arcuate movement.

When alighting upon the land, the skids 9 and 27 will be depressed against the air pressure within the cylinders 14 and 29 and against the pressure of the springs 28 and 3i? in this manner retarding the descent of the apparatus and reducing the impact against the land, and absorbing the shock. The weight of the apparatus will be carried upon the wings l as in flying until the for verd momentum has been checked b v tractive resistance against the skids 9 and 2T. The upward movement of the skids 9 is limited by the partitions 25 so that even when moved inwardly to the extremo position the hulls G will be supported above the level of the land. the weight being distributed and balanced upon the three skids.

The skids 9 and 27 are each provided with a plane 36 secured transversely thereto and inclined slightly toward the forward end thereof. The planes 36 are provided as a means of alighting upon the water, the area being suflicient to retard the descent of the apparatus and prevent a sudden impact of the hulls 6 with the water such as might result in damage to the hulls or a submergence of the entire apparatus. The planes are arranged at an angle adapted to cause the hulls to skip lightly over the water until the forward momentum hasbeen reduced by the resistance of the water against the plane 36. The lower surface of the planes 36 are arranged in a plurality of offset sections 35 adapted to give an increased horizontal projection without increasing the vertical pro- `iection of the angle defined by the plane. .ln this manner the resistance to downward displacement through the water is increased without increasing the resistance to a forward movement. Theresistance of the water against a downward movement of the planes 3 causes the skids 9 and Q7 to be moved upwardly against the air pressure within the cylinders 14 and 29 and against the pressure of the springs 26 Yand 33, the impact being retarded and the shock of descendingT upon the water being thereby absorbed in the same manner as when descent is made upon the land.

Then alighting upon or floating upon wa` ter the ends ofthe wings 1 are often caused to dip into the water because of the unevenness of the surface due to waves. In rough weather the wings' may even be partially submerged by a wave. To prevent this i have provided 'a buoyant pontoon 37 pivotally connectedat the forward end to a bracket 38 secured upon the lower side of each lower wing` 1 at the outer end thereof. The other end of each pontoon 37 is resiliently secured to the ,wing l by means of a rod 39 pivotally connected to the pontoon and slidably movablekagainst the pressure of a spring l1 se cured upon the wing 1 by means of a U- shaped. bracket 42. 'In this manner any dipping of the wing into the water resiliei'itlj; re urded by the pontoon 3T.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. rThe combination with an aerial apparatus having wings and a propelling means, of a pair of buoyant hulls secured to said apparatus and arranged to iloat the same upon the surface oi? a body of water; a landing skid slidably mounte within each hull and extending outwardly rom the bottom thereof: air cylinders mounted within said hulls; a plunger mounted i hin e; cylinder and secured to said skids where. upward movement of said ski-ils when alight ing upon land is resiliently retarded by the air within said cylinder; a skid pivotally and resiliently secured betweenl the hulls at the rearward end thereof to absorb impact and to support said rearwn 'd end when de scent is made upon the land; and means secured to said skids to retard descent and fo operate said skids to absorb impict when descent is made upon the water.

2. The combination with an aerial apparatus having wings and a propelling means, of a pair of buoyant hulls secured to said apparatus and arranged to float the same upon the surface of a body of water; a landing skid slidably mounted within each hull and extending outwardly therefrom; a landing skid pivotally mounted between said hulls and arranged to engage the land adjacent the rearward end of the hulls; resilient means connecting each skid to the hulls. said resilient means comprising a plurality of air cylinders; a piston slidably mounted within each cylinder, and a connecting rod secured between each piston and the skids whereby upward displacement oi." the skids by impact when descent is made upon the land is resiliently retarded and the shock absorbed by the compression of air within the cylinders, and springs upon the connecting rods above the skids to further resist displacement and reduce shocks; and means secured to said landing skids to retard. descent and to operate said skids to absorb impact when descent is made upon the water.

3. The combination with an aerial apparatus having wings and a propelling means, of a pair of buoyant hulls secured to said apparatus and arranged to float the same upon thesurface of a body of water; a landing skid slidably and resiliently mounted within each hull and extending outwardly from the bottom thereof, and a landing skid pivotally connected between said hulls and extending below said hulls at the rearward end thereof; resilient connections interposed between the skids and the hulls to reduce impact lu on the land and to absorb the shock ofA anding; and planes secured .to .Said

skids to engage the surface of water to operate said skids to retard descent and to absorb shock when descent is made upon water.

4. The combination with an aerial apparatus having wings and a propelling means of a pair of hulls secured to Said apparatus and arranged to float the same upon the surface of a body of water; a landing skid slidably mounted within each hull and eX- tending outwardly from the bottom thereof; a landing skid pivotally mounted between the hulls and extending below said hulls at the rearward end thereof; resilient connections interposed between the skids and the hulls to reduce impact upon the land and to absorb the shock of landing when descent is made upon the land; planes secured to said skids, said planes being upwardly inclined toward the forward end and having their lower surfaces formed in offset sections to retard descent and to operate the skids to absorb shock when descent is made upon water.

5. The combina-tion with an aerial apparatus having wings and a propellin means of a pair of hulls secured to sai apparatus and arranged to float the same upon the surface of a body of water; a landing skid slidably mounted within each hull and extending outwardly from the bottom thereof; a landing skid pivotally mounted between the hulls and extending below Said hulls at the rearward end thereof; resilient connections interposed between the skids and the hulls to reduce impact upon the land and to absorb the shock of landing when descent is made upon the land; planes secured to said skids, said planes being upwardly inclined toward the forward end and having their lower surfaces formed in offset sections to retard descent and to operate the skids to absorb shock when descent is made upon water; and buoyant means secured to the outer ends of the wings upon the lower side thereof to prevent said wings from dipping into the water and from beiner submerged by waves when alighting and floating upon water.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my signature.

VITTORIO PASTRENGO. 

